Kentucky Baseball assistant Chase Slone excited for new journey in Lexington

It was announced on July 14 that Kentucky had hired former Wright State associate head coach Chase Slone to replace former assistant coach Nick Ammirati, who left for Georgia on July 1.

Slone, who had made his way through the ranks of his former program from a volunteer assistant to the associate head coach in just three full seasons, helped coach Wright State to four straight Horizon League regular season championships, three Horizon League Championship titles, and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. 

The Murfreesboro, TN native will be tasked with helping continue Kentucky’s impressive offensive versatility, according to Kentucky’s press release. He made his first public appearance as a Wildcat last Thursday, where he introduced himself and what he brings to the program to the Big Blue Nation.

“I want to be a complete offense and that’s what Kentucky has been here,” Slone said. “That’s what we were at Wright State. At Wright State maybe hit the long ball a little bit more at times, but I think you have to be a complete offense. You have to be able to steal and you have to be able to create runs in many different ways. There might be a day that the wind is blowing out and you can sit back and drive some baseballs; there’s going to be other times you got to put a bunt down, you got to put a first and third offensive play on, a safety squeeze, or something of that nature. So you just have to be complete 1-9. Everybody has to do it. You have to be able to have quality bats come off the bench, and they’ve got to be ready to go. But as far as the training side of things, relationships are key. Getting to know the players, getting to understand what they feel, learning what their strengths and weaknesses are, and then building the relationships. Then, we can get to work in the cages.”

Slone, who has been tabbed a rising star in the college baseball world, presided over a Raider offense that ranked 10th in the country in scoring last season (nine runs per game). Wright State also ranked eighth in slugging percentage, eighth in home runs per game, 16^th in batting average and 17^th in total runs scored.

“Chase is a perfect fit for Kentucky Baseball,” said head coach Nick Mingione in a press release. “He’s extremely intelligent, innovative and has played a pivotal role in one of the nation’s most effective and opportunistic offensive attacks. We are thrilled to welcome him to the UK baseball family and the Big Blue Nation.”

Nick Mingione and Chase Slone first crossed paths at a Mississippi State baseball camp in 2012, when Mingione was an assistant coach in Starkville and Slone was on the verge of playing college baseball. They’d run back into each other two years ago at a prospect showcase, where the newly hired assistant coach wondered if Mingione remembered who he was.

“Two summers ago whenever I’m sitting there at Future Games and Coach Minge is there,” Slone said. “We just happened to organically be sitting to two seats apart. And I’m like, ‘Man, I wonder if he remembers me or not’. ‘Should I ask him?’ ‘Should I talk to him?’ I hate being you know, the guy that’s just going up and introducing myself to everybody. But um, something in my gut just told me to and I asked him. I was like, ‘You recruited Colin Holderman right?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I did’. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know if you remember me or not, but I’m Chase Slone.’ And he’s like, ‘yeah, yeah’. And then we just reconnected there for the next three hours, broke down some hitting stuff, shared some drills and different things. It’s crazy the way that worked out but it all makes sense.”

After sitting in the Wright State dugout in 2023 for a three-game series at Kentucky Proud Park (in which the Raiders won a game), Slone will now preside in the home dugout for the next few seasons as the newest member of the Big Blue Nation.